Signs of the times

[Patti Goebel]

Hi all,   I came across the following in the Qur'an this week (Sura 34):   "�Never,� say the unbelievers, �will the Hour come upon us!� Say: Yea, by my Lord who knoweth the unseen, it will surely come upon you! not the weight of a mote either in the Heavens or in the Earth escapeth him; nor is there aught less than this or aught greater, which is not in the clear Book; -   "To the intent that God may reward those who have believed and done the things that are right: Pardon and a noble provision shall they receive:   "But as for those who aim to invalidate our signs, - a chastisement of painful torment awaiteth them!   "And they to whom knowledge hath been given see that what hath been sent down to thee from thy Lord is the truth, and that it guideth into the way of the Glorious one, the Praiseworthy."   I'm wondering how (if) Islam interprets the phrase "what hath been sent down to thee from thy Lord is the truth" in relation to the signs of the Hour.  Can any of our Islamic scholars address this one?  I know Shi'a Islam was focused on the year 1260, based on the death of the last Imam plus 1000 years; however, has Sunni Islam ever come up with a specific date for the "Hour"?  'Abdu'l-Baha has addressed the dates in the prophecy of Daniel in "Some Answered Questions" and William Sears has discussed them further in "Thief in the Night".   It seems to me that "sent down to thee from thy Lord" could be applied to the signs indicated by the "Lord", Christ, and specifically to the prophecy in Daniel he refers to when asked by his disciples about the signs of the end of the age in Matthew 24:3 & 15.  Is there any record of this being interpreted this way?  It seems like this should be a strong proof, especially since this same prophetic symbol -- the "abomination of desolation" of Daniel cited in Matthew 24 -- apparently was also used as a proof of Christ even before it was used in the fifth century by Augustine (http://ccel.org/fathers/NPNF1-02/Augustine/cog/t101.htm#t101.htm.5).   Patti ---------- You are subscribed to Baha'i Studies as: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Baha'i Studies is available through the following: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] http://list.jccc.net/cgi-bin/lyris.pl?enter=bahai-st news://list.jccc.net/bahai-st http://www.escribe.com/religion/bahaist (public) http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED] (public)